Christmas roses in a pot: plant & care in a tub

Christmas roses are also great in the bucket. Here you can find out what you need to pay special attention to when planting and caring for Christmas roses in pots.

If you don't have your own garden, you can Christmas roses (Helleborus niger) can also be wonderfully planted in a pot. The winter queen among flowers opens her blossoms when many other plants are currently in their hibernation. The Christmas roses defy the cold without any problems, a location in a shady to partially shaded, sheltered place on the balcony or terrace is ideal. If a nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil is then used, nothing stands in the way of the splendor of the white or red Christmas roses with a little care.

In the following, we will explain the best way to proceed when planting in pots. We have also summarized the most important points for maintenance.

Suitable types of Christmas roses for the pot

There are around 20 different ones Helleborus- Species that are often all mistakenly referred to as Christmas roses. By the way, another name of the plants is snow rose. For example, the oriental hellebore (Helleborus orientalis) and the "real" Christmas rose (Helleborus niger), which, like some other species, can also be found growing wild in Europe. However, since there are only a few specimens left, they are usually under special protection. Fortunately, today there is also a large selection of different varieties of Christmas roses that you can acquire for cultivation. Here we have prepared a small selection of Christmas roses that are suitable for planting in pots:

• Helleborus niger ‘HGC Joel’: Bright white flowers; blooms from December; compact, medium-strong growth; up to 20 cm high; suitable for partially shaded and shady locations.
• Helleborus niger ‘Double Fashion’: White, double flowers; flowers from December to April; reaches heights of growth of about 20 cm; thrives in sunny and partially shaded locations; very well winterized.

• Helleborus niger "HGC Jacob": White flowers; flowers from November to February; strong and steadfast; medium strong growth; becomes about 20 cm high; suitable for partially shaded and shady locations.
• Helleborus niger 'Praecox': Early flowering variety; white, bowl-shaped flowers; flowers from November to December; spreading growth; becomes about 25 cm high; prefers partially shaded locations.
• Helleborus niger ‘HGC Jericho’: Large white flowers; blooms from December; dark green foliage; spreading growth; becomes about 25 to 30 cm high; suitable for partially shaded locations.

Tip: Christmas roses can also combine wonderfully with other spring flowers such as snowdrops (Galanthus) be combined.

Planting Christmas roses in a pot

In order for your Christmas rose to thrive in the pot, there are a few points to consider when planting. Christmas roses are deep-rooted, which is why you should choose a sufficiently large planter for your darling. A small opening in the bottom also ensures that excess irrigation water can drain away. Therefore, first of all, fill a drainage layer made of potsherds, chippings or expanded clay in the pot to avoid waterlogging. Good potting soil is ideal as a substrate, for example our peat-free and sustainable one Plantura organic potting soilwhich contains all the nutrients for a rich bloom.

To make the substrate structurally stable over the long term, you can mix it with a third of expanded clay fragments or lava chippings. As a lime-loving plant, the Christmas rose also benefits from mixing a good handful of lime into the soil. Put some soil in the pot, form a planting hole and place the Christmas rose in the middle. Then fill the pot with the substrate and water the plant well so that the soil can settle. If you want to do something particularly good for the Christmas rose, cover the surface of the earth with moss, bark or bark mulch, this keeps the moisture in the ball of the pot and also looks decorative.

A partially shaded or shady spot on the balcony or terrace is ideal as a location. Warning: All parts of the Christmas rose are highly poisonous, so curious children and animals should be kept an eye out. About the Toxicity of the Christmas roses you can find out more in our appropriate special article.

How do you properly plant Christmas roses in pots?

1. Select a sufficiently large pot or bucket
2. Introduce a drainage layer
3. Substrate (for example our Plantura Organic potting soil) mix with sand if necessary
4. Insert the Christmas rose
5. Fill up with substrate
6. Water well
7. Cover the potting soil with moss or mulch material

Tip: Be sure to wear gloves when planting Christmas roses. Leaking sap of the poisonous buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) could otherwise cause skin irritation.

Caring for Christmas roses in pots: You should pay attention to this

So that your Christmas rose grows well in the pot and feels good in the long term, you should take good care of your darling. The following aspects are particularly important when caring for your Christmas rose:

Pour the Christmas roses in the pot

Water your Christmas rose regularly to keep it from drying out. However, waterlogging should be avoided at all costs. Even in winter, it should be watered regularly on frost-free days and, if necessary, a layer of mulch made of leaves or compost should be applied in order to avoid moisture differences as much as possible. When the temperature is below zero, the flowers sometimes appear "limp". However, this is not due to a lack of water, but represents a protective reaction of the plant. The Christmas rose draws water from the ducts so that the frost does not blow it up. When the temperature rises, the plant will straighten up on its own and continue to flower.

Fertilize the Christmas roses in the pot

So that your Christmas rose produces many flowers, you can work some fertilizer into the substrate when you plant it. The best way to do this is to use a fertilizer in organic quality with an organic long-term effect - such as our Plantura Organic flower fertilizer - return. This is slowly decomposed and gradually releases the nutrients for the plant.

Hibernate Christmas roses in a pot

So that the root ball of the Christmas rose does not freeze through in the cold winter months, it is best to wrap the pot with bubble wrap or a jute sack during this time. If you place the planter on a wooden or styrofoam plate, the Christmas rose is also protected from the cold from below. In the spring, if you don't want to harvest any seeds, you can gradually cut off the withered flowers. The leaves are left on until they are completely withered.

Tip: If you want to grow Christmas roses indoors, you should choose a bright, cool place with a room temperature of 10 to 15 ° C. However, a parking space in the heated living room is not suitable for Christmas roses.

Detailed information on the Care of Christmas roses can be found in our special article.